Free iPhone Turn by Turn Driving Directions with Waze

Thanks to James Deaton, this past week I learned about the free mobile app, Waze. Waze is “Real-time maps and traffic information based on the wisdom of the crowd.” The website explains:

Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. 100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets. Join the community of drivers in your area today!

Today on a trip to the Dallas area to reconnoiter office furniture from IKEA for our new Storychasers office, I had an extended opportunity to put Waze through its paces. I was very impressed how it recalculated routes based on my position as well as local traffic reports and updates from nearby Waze users.

The Waze app (also available for other mobile platforms besides iPhone) doesn’t let you text while driving. It senses your movement via GPS, and you can only enter text into the app when stopped. Other navigational options can be selected while in motion, however.

It even gives Smokey reports! (Ah, remember the old days of CB radio, talking to truckers on channel 19?!)

Like Foursquare or Gowalla, users earn points using the app. The more you use the app and contribute information, the better the app can assist everyone with navigation. Very cool, and very powerful! Give Waze a try – It’s free and the best navigational aid I’ve used to date on my iPhone.